Vehicle steering mechanism



D. E. HENNESSY AND1. IVICGEOHGE.

VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISM. 'APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8, |917.

RENEWED` JAN. 8, 1921.

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D. E. HENNESSY AND I. VICGEORGE.

VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISIVI. APPLICATION FILED OCI'. 8. |917. HENEWED IAN. 8, 192|.

UNITE sgTAfrss DANIEL E. HENNESSY, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, .AND JOHN MCGEORGE, F

CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO HERBERT VI. vCOVVAQN' L'.

LE'VVIS W'YCKOFF,

AND EDWARD N. WHITE, ALL OF HOLYOXE. MASSACHUSETTS, TR'USTEES, DOING BUSINESS AS COWAN TRUCK COMPANY.

VEHICLE STEERING MEGHANISM.

Original application filed March 23. 1917, Serial No. 3, 1917, Serial No. 195,240. Renewed To all j//f//o/rifit /may/ conca/'71,5 lie it known that we. Daxter, Hna'- Ni-ssy and lnnN-Mctieoaon. citizens of the United States, residing a-t llolyolcc. count)v of l-laniliden. and State of Massachusetts. and at ('leveland. (lhio. respectively, have invented certain new and uselul Improvements in Vehicle Steering' Mechanism. ot' which the Vfollowing lis a clear. Jr'ull. and exactdeseription. l

This invention relates toseit-propelled vehicles. and particularly to sclt-prolalled*vchicles of the type used in warehouses and railroad st ationsior carrying` goods and baggage from place to place. The inven-` tion is herein shown as embodied in an electrically propelled elevating' truck oi the tvpc Shown in our cli-pending' application Serial No. 157,017 filed lach 225. lflli' l'or Letters Patent tor improvementsYin electrically operated elevatingr plail'orrn trucks. oi' which application thc present application is a di-` vision, but it will be understood that the ini vention is not restricted to use in vehicles oi", the type shown in our co-pending` application but is 0i1 general applicability in the art to which it relates.

A particular object oi the invention is so to improve the steering mechanism of selfpropelled vehicles that not/only may the ideal steering conditions be obtained so far as location oi the steering' wheels on tanrcnts ol' concentric circles is concerned. but the range ol' the steering movement mayl also be increasml whereby the vehicle mayY be completely turned in the smallest possible space. ln thc preferred embodiment ol thc invention. the improvements relatimgr to the steering oi the vehicle ari applied to all four wheels of the vehicle and all tour wheels are arranged to travel on tangents to concentric circles having their conunou center between the en ds of the truck. It will be understood,v hmvever` that many oi the advantages of the improved steering,construction can be obtained in a vehicle having only two of the Wheels arranged for steering.v

Other objects and iml'iortant features ot the invention will appear i'roni the following description and claims when considered vspecification of Letters Patent Patented Jane 52S, 15521.

157,017. Divided and this application :tiled October January 8, 1921. Serial No. 435,991.

stceringand controlling post; and

Fig'. 5 is a diimrammatic view illustrating. the lay-outoiE the steering1 gears.

rfhe illustrated truck comprises a low horizontal ira'me L) connected at its forward end to the trame or casing'4, which carries the elwtricall)y operated propelling' mechanism oi' the vehicle and the mechanism b v whicl the clevatilm platform (l is raised, allot which are more fully shown and described in the co-pending application hereinabove, referred to; At the trontof the frame oi casingfl is a platform 8 which carries the steering' andy controllingr post 1l), the parts thusgt'ar described being supported upon tour wheels, or sets'ot wheels, comprising pairs ot combiiaal supportiino` and steering)` wheels 12 beneath the platform (l and combined steering and driving,r wheelsl4 beneath the elevated portion of the truck frame.

rlhe powertor drivingthe truck and for operating the elevating1 mechanism is preterably received from storage batteries, not shown, mounted upon the trame 4, 'and is applied through an electric motor 18 which may be clutched by suitable clutch mechanism 25, either `t0 the driving'wheels 14 or to mechanism, not herein particularly illustrated, for raising the platform 6. connectioifbetween the motor '18 and the driving' wheels comprises a dilerential gearing. not shown, which is housed in a easing 3G and is connected by sprocket chains 84 and 86, hereinafter more fully described, to` gearingl by which the drivingrwheels 14 are turned.

The

e The driving wheels 14 are mounted on stub axles or spindles 6() havingl squared body portions 62 confined upon vertical spindle shafts 64, the body 62 and shaft 75 being 4confined in extensions 66 of the gearhous ings 68, the ends of the shafts 64@ being confined inbearings in the forked ends 7() of the axle "72 and the extensions (36 ofthe housings 68 fitting within these forked ends.

'lhe frame or casing 4l into which the upper part of each wheel 14: extends is so recessed upon each side of the axle 72 that' the wheel may turn with its spindle 6() about the bearing of the spindle shaft 64 through an angle ofl nearly 90 upon one side of the axle and through an angle sufficient to permit the cooperation ofeach steering wheel with the other when the other is being turned through its greater angle, the'limit of the turning movement ybeing shown in dotted lines in llig. l of the drawings.

lifounted in bearings above the spindlel shaft (S4 and coaxial with said shaft is a pinion shaft 74 having at its upper end a bevel pinion 7G meshing with a bevel pinion 78 on a horizontal shaft 8() extending lengthwise of the vehicle. The shaft S0 carries `a sprocket wheel S2, which is driven from the differential by means of a sprocket chain H4. there being a correspondingdriving mechanism upon the other side of the vehicle.y connectedv by a sprocket chain HG to the differential. A pinion lil on the shaft 74 meslies with the gear ring Sil on the driving wheel lil.

ln order to keep the steering wheels tangential to concentric circles. thus producing the ideal steering condition for a driven vehicle, the steering mechaisnnow to be described is provided. Connected to the gear housing (5H of each oi' the driving and steer ing wheels 14 is a gear segment RS which is not wholly concentric with tl 1. axis of the spindle shaft (i4 and which does not have its gear teeth arranged upon the arc of a single circle. This gear segment meshes with a somewhat sl'iiral-shapcd gear 9() upon a vertical stud sha l't or bolt 92 in the aille 72. the curvature of this gear being such that it meshes with the gear segment Sti throughout the range of steering movement of the steering and driving wheel 14. The curves of the segments SS and gears 5)() are so plotted that when the gears 90 are turned in opposite rotational directions and through equal angles about their axes the steering wheels will be moved by the gear segments 88 into tangential relation to concentric circles, lthese circles in the illustrated construction having their common center upon a line of centers 94, located substantially midway between the front and rear wheels of the truck.

The rear wheels 12 of the truck are preferably also arranged to be steered, and to this end each of these Wheels is mounted in nseegeoe a wheel supportv 96 having a swivel connec tion with the horizontal frame 2, the illus trated swivel comprising a bearing cone 98 resting against ball bearings 10.0 in a hall lace in the frame 2, said bearing cone being confined in the frame by means of a ring 102. Each of the steering wheel supports 96 has connected therewith a gear segment itl-i. having the shape of the gear segment 88, and colierating with each segment 104C is a gear 10G of substantiallyv the shape of the gear 90, the gears 106 being mounted upon vertical stub shafts 108.

Mechanism is provided for operating ali four of the steering wheels simultaneously and in' such manner that all may be placed in. tangential relation to concentric circles havingtheir common center on the line of centersst. It will be noted that there are two of the supporting wheels 1i. in each of the wheel supports 9th but in'deserleing the steering mechanism of the truck.y each of these wheel couples will be considered as a single wheel, asin such expressions as ali four.

The illustrated mechanism for controlling the Asteering movements of the front and rear wheels simultaneously comprises a. sprocket wheel 11() integral with each of` the gears 9() and a sprocket wheel 112 integral with each of the gears 106` these sprocket wheels being connected by a continuous sprocket chain 114 which engages the nearer or inner sides of the gears 9() and the remote sides of the gears 106, and also passes over a si'nocket wheel 116 on the lower end of a vertical steering shaft. 118 in the steering and con trolling post 10. Guide rollers 120 are iocated in front of the gears 106.

At its upper end the shaft 118 provided with a bevel grear'lifT 'which meshes with a bevel gear 124C upon a sleeve 126 surrounding the controller shaft 12S, this sleeve being connected to the hub 132 of the steering wheel 155() and being mounted in bearings in the upper part of the steering and controlling` post ll). The controller shaft 128 is provided at its respective ends with operating handles l-el. 136, whereby the controller' may be operated from either side of the post 10, the controller shaft 12B having attached thereto a bevel gear 13,8 which meshes with a bevel gear 14() on the controller sleeve 141-24. The electrical mechanism of the controller may be of any suitable or usual construction and in itself does not constitute a part of the present invention.

From the foregoing description and from an inspection of F ig. 1 of the drawings, it will be noted that when the steering handle is turned to effect the steering of the vehicle.y all four of the steering wheels will be turned into tangential relation to concentric circles and insuch manner as to effect the turning ofthe vehicle in the smallest space, the

lll() Wheels all traveling in the saine direction about the common center. 'When, as shown in l1`ig. l ol' thedrawings, the wheels;l are turned to their extren'ie liniit in any steeringv direction, the connnon center will lie eubstann tially in one side ot the truck. l

What we c'lairn as nenT ist* l. In a truck o'l the class described, the combination with steering wheels, of means tordrvingi said wl'reels, and meane 'for turningY said wheels into tangential relation to concentric circles, comprising eccentric gear segments connected to vsaid wheels and a gear copcratinpr with each gear segment throughont'the steering movement oil the Wheeh said gear being arranged to turn about a fixed axis. l

2. vIn a vehicle ot' the class described, the combinationV with ay pair ot'steering wheels, of means for turning said Steering` .vheels into `tangential relation to concentric circles, comprieing a horizontal gear Segment carried by each wheel and a cooperating gear upon the'franietor each vgear segment, the teeth ot' the cooperating gear@ upon each Side being' arranged to mesh throughout the steering movementof the steering Wheel and being arranged upon curves plotted to maintain said wheels in tangential relation to concentric circles for equal angular movements of the operating gears.

In a Vehicle of the class described, the combination With a pair of Steeringr Wheels,

. of means for electingr eiinultaneonlyy steering movements of ysaid steering Wheels, said coperating' nears carried steeringl wheels in tangential relation to con' centric circlestor all equal angular nieve nient of said operating gears, and means for effecting Sin'iultaneonsly equal angular move ments ot' Said operating gears.

in a vehicle of the claas described the combination with trent and rear paire of steering wheels, of incans for effecting Sininlv taneously movement ol all ot said steering` wheels into tangential relation to concentric circles and into position to travel in the ne direction about the common center, said means comprising an ngeraotint.1 gear tor'- cach Steeringl wheel and a coperatinfj' gear upon each steeringl Wheel, the.iinternieehing)` teeth of the respective pairs ot eope ating gears being' arranged -upon curves so plotted with respect to the locations of the steeriinlg` y, Wheels that equal angular Inovei'nente ol all of the operating fears will more all ot Said steering wheels into tangential relatwn to concentric, mrcles7 and means for eo turning said operating gear@ sinenln'camsoneltY as'to move Said. stecrnn` Wheels into po `ion to travel in the saine direction about the. coniu nion center.

DANIEL E. HEPINESSY. JOHN MCGEGRGE. 

